News
Friday, April 20, 2012
Rs 7 billion drug quota scandalANF names PM’s son as accused
* Nominates eight new suspects, including Khushnood Lashari, MNA Abdul Sattar and Narcotics Control Ministry acting secretary
* SC to take up case today
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Thursday declared the prime minister’s son, Ali Musa Gilani, former health secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, Member National Assembly Mian Abdul Sattar and Narcotics Control Ministry Acting Secretary Zafar Abbas accused in Rs 7 billion scam of ephedrine chemical.
ANF chief Brig Fahim Ahmed Khan submitted additional documents in the Supreme Court (SC) under Rule 5 order XXXIII Supreme Court Rules 1980.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, is taking up the case on Friday (today). Brig Fahim submitted that another eight accused were nominated in the drug scandal.
The ANF has already initiated investigation against 10 people: Dr Rashid Juma, Iftikhar Ahmed Babar, Rizwan Ahmed Khan, Ehsanur Rehman, Tanvirul Hassan Shirazi, Chaudhry Abdul Waheed, Ansir Farooq Chaudhry, Col (r) Tahir al Wadood Lahoti, Muhammad Hashim Khan and Tauqeer Ali Khan.
Regarding the Narcotics Control Ministry’s role, Brig Fahim said that the acting secretary had acted ferociously to sabotage and mislead the investigation and rescue Musa Gilani, Tauqeer, Sattar and Lashari.
The ANF chief also said that the Narcotics Control Ministry and the “government machinery” were being used to harass witnesses to back off from their statements/version made before the investigating officer in this regard.
Disregarding the court’s April 10 order, Fahim said Abbas, in his capacity as the ANF director general, had transferred ANF HQ Director Brig Akhtar Mahmood to assets branch while Assets Director Syed Marwat Ali had been made the ANF director.
He said that the ANF had filed an application in the SC against the posting/transfers because it was in violation of the court’s order.
He contended that the allocation of ephedrine quota was in violation of the United Nations Convention.
He said that there were 20 companies waiting for allocation of their quota of ephedrine, but the chemical was allocated to Berlex and Danas Pharma very fast/out of turn under the influence of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Musa Gilani and MNA Abdul Sattar.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk